Homeland Security Current Event – El Paso Mass Shooting 2019

Homeland Security Current Event – El Paso Mass Shooting 2019
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Homeland Security Current Event – El Paso Mass Shooting 2019
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), created soon after the 9/11 attack by the Islamic terrorist on U.S. soil, has been at the forefront in countering the terror attacks on the country’s citizens. Post the 9/11 attack, the U.S. justice and security systems have been on high alert to deter any further terror attacks on Americans, making significant progress in strengthening their systems. Since its creation, the DHS has vehemently dealt with threats that are perceived to cause danger in the homeland, with the department evolving with the changing nature of the threat and threat actors. Acts of terrorism inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) have been on a decline post the 9/11 attack, whereas acts of domestic terrorism, hate crimes, extremism have been on the rise, proving to be a major threat to homeland security in the recent past.
Domestic terrorism is a phrase used to describe acts of terrorism perpetrated against Americans on American soil and has no connection whatsoever with the FTOs. According to DHS, the number of deaths linked to the various acts of domestic terrorism has superseded those by FTO-linked acts of terrorism, making domestic terrorism of much concern. The perpetrators of domestic terrorism have a wide range of motivations, including race, ethnicity, sexuality, national origin, and religion. White supremacist violent extremists and anti-government violent extremists are the leading perpetrators of domestic terrorism, with 2018 and 2019 bearing the most lethal attacks perpetrated by violent domestic extremists [DVEs] (FBI, n.d.). One typical incident of violent domestic extremism is the famous El Paso mass shooting.
On the third day of August 2019, a white male of age 21 named Patrick Crusius walked into Walmart Supercenter, in Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso, Texas, armed with an assault rifle and started shooting randomly. According to the witnesses spoken to by the authorities, the perpetrator shot at random before entering the capacity store, where he continued his assault. A background check on the perpetrator indicated that he had driven from Allen, Texas, to El Paso to commit the crime, a distance of 650 miles. The motive behind the long-distance drive was to target the highly populated area of Latinos. The shooting resulted in a total of 22 fatalities and over two dozen people injured, ranking among the most heinous domestic violence perpetrated by violent extremists. The act was treated and investigated by the relevant authorities as an act of domestic terrorism.
The motive behind the mass shooting by Crusius was certainly racism and anti-immigration attitudes from a white supremacist. The decision by Crusius to drive for over 600 miles was to target the Mexican immigrants working at the mall. Reports of alleged racist and anti-immigration documents surfaced in the media soon after the incident, insinuating that the perpetrator had published the document of hate on a social media platform minutes before the act. According to CNN reports, Crusius wrote a four-page document filled with hate ...